This invention concerns electrical wire connectors of the type used to make connection with flexible insulated electrical wires or to interconnect two or more such wires, and an associated wire connection method.
The ideal electrical wire connector with which this invention is concerned, though outwardly simple, must meet, in a single device, a very substantial number of rather severe requirements and constraints.
1. Above all it must produce an electrical connection with highest integrity.
2. It must produce a sound mechanical connection which cannot pull out, disconnect, or otherwise fail. It should resist a pull-out force greater than that required to break the connected wires without impairing the integrity of the electrical or mechanical connection therewith.
3. It is important that it be low in materials cost and amenable to automated manufacture for low net manufacturing cost.
4. It should be quick and easy to use, foolproof in completion, and not require any wire stripping, special tools or excessive force or know-how.
5. It should self-adjust to a wide range of wire diameters; that is, one size of connector should fit a wide range of wire diameters.
6. It should be readily disconnectable and if such is desired, and then reconnectable without significant impairment of the electrical or mechanical connection upon reconnection; yet it should not be susceptible to inadvertent disconnection.
7. It must be reliable, have a minimum number of parts, and preferably have no moving parts which might hang up.
8. It should be compact and lightweight.
9. It should be capable of joining a large number of wires for use in applications where manifold wire interconnections are required or desired.
10. It should be capable of capturing and insulating loose wire ends to obviate the need for insulating such ends.
11. It should be resistant to moisture and invasion of other contaminants from the atmosphere.
12. It should be amenable to use in making "T" and "H" connections as well as end-to-end connections.
13. It should be adaptable to either collinear or parallel connection of wires.
A host of devices have been developed and/or disclosed to meet the need for a wire connector of the type described, but all have fallen far short of providing the desired features and capabilities of the ideal connector. Most suffer badly from an inability to provide the necessary high integrity in the electrical and mechanical connections produced. While some are easy to connect, they cannot be readily disconnected and reconnected. Few, if any, have the desirable "one-size-fits-all" capability, being limited to handling one fixed wire size, or a very narrow range of wire sizes. Some designs are hindered by a need for moving parts which inevitably reduces the reliability and raises cost of such devices. Others suffer from a lack of resistance to moisture and other environmental intrusions. Some will provide end-to-end connections, and others a "T" or "H" connection, but few, if any, will provide all of these types of connections in a single connector.